Advice for my Holly

One of my very first family events with my husband, Tim, was our niece's 2nd birthday party.  of course we were just dating then but it seems like I just blinked and she grew up. Tonight, I spent the evening helping her with some crafty projects for her college dorm.  Crazy!  As we worked and chatted I shared some of my own college memories and more than a little unsolicited advice.  I've learned a little along the way and have several young ladies whom I love headed off to college in the coming weeks so it seems only appropriate that I pass along a little practical college wisdom.  I wouldn't say these are the rules you need to live by, just a few helpful hints that might keep you out of trouble and help you survive that first semester (it's a doozie)!

1.  It is not wise to take Calculus at 7:30am (especially if math is not your strong suit and you are not a morning person)
2.  If the girls down the hall invite you to go grocery shopping at 3am,  I say go :)! If the boys across the street ask you to do anything at 3am,  I say no!    You can sleep when you're 70.  Just make sure you're homework is done and you don't have class at 7:30am!
3.  The friendly people in the union giving away free tshirts if you apply for a credit card are not your friends and the tshirt isn't really free-- you will pay dearly for it. 
4.   Make a new family who will remind you of who you really are.  You will make so many new friends some who hold very different values than you grew up with.  Its okay to make new friends with new ideas but find a family of friends at the BCM or another Christian student group who will keep you accountable to the person you really are!
5.  Don't forget you have a family at home.  You are not as big as you think you are, sorry its sad but true.  I heard a girl at high school graduation say her mother's job was done.... wrong, it just got harder.  When you make a stupid mistake tell your momma and let her help,  if you want to avoid another stupid mistake ask you momma for advice first, or call Aunt Jenny :) and I'll tell you if you are being stupid becuase that's how much I love you!  (that goes for you too Bailey & Haley)
6.  Make a good handy guy friend who you have zero romantic interest and make him dinner from time to time.  (Thanks Dave for fixing my car, my stereo, my garbage disposal, the list goes on and on-  he ate well) 
7.  Don't date the boys in the band- you'll just have to trust me on that one. (not talking marching band I'm sure they're quite nice) 
8.  If you cannot pronounce your professor's name and you cannot understand him drop it and run or scratch you head for several weeks and drop it with a "D" (that's a shock to a little girl who always made "A"s
9.  If your professor wrote the book,  lol good luck!
10.  If the sign says no parking, they mean no parking.  Parking tickets stink!! Pretty sure I funded half of the new parking garages at the Uof A.
11.  Don't go growing up on me too fast just keep being a kid for a little longer.  And for goodness sake quit pinning stuff to your pinterest boards that are for future kids its really freaking me out! :)

More than anything  have fun and enjoy your college time.  It goes by so fast and you can't get that time back.  I'm so proud of all my girls headed off to school.  Remember who you are and who your heart belongs to.

It's hot!!! Summer is soooo not my favoritve season.  Give me fall football weather any day!! I am really looking forward to fall.  My brain goes to bed at night thinking about cute little clothes for fall portraits,  Halloween costumes,  pecan pie, etc.... the list goes on and on.  But here we are smack dab in the middle of one hot, dry summer!  Hallelujah thank the Lord for air conditioning and cold sweet ice tea!  I think we might have some new comers to the blog today, so let me just give you a quick synopsis of me:  I have horrible spelling and and am apparently not that good at using spell check, so just adjust your brain and deal with it :),  I have 3 small children so if it seems like I left a thought hanging, well I probably had to go save someone hanging from the rafters!!,  I have every intention of sharing more crafty blogs as soon as I have more time in my life (bahahaha) to take pictures and give clear detailed instructions, until then I'll show you what I did, throw out some random applicable advice and well.... good luck! 
Lately, I've been painting a lot of furniture (my poor husband doesn't understand why we can't leave things the way they are!) and sewing like crazy!  I'm so thankful for all my local customers who keep me busy. I really really want to work on some projects for tweens.  If some of you moms have tween and want to send some clothing ideas my way I'd appreciate it.  Do they wear the ruffle pants?  Do they want applique tshirts?  I'm firmly in toddler land and not sure whats "in" with the older set. So give me some feedback please!
I also updated the work order list.  If you have a pending order, you should be on there along with the date I plan to deliver your project by.  I'm waiting on a really slow backorder of a couple of fabrics that is holding up two projects but fabric should be in early next week and in plenty of time to get bags where they need to go! Be sure to check the list if you have already placed an order and let me know if you don't see something that should be on the list!!
 I'm still on a bedding kick. (be sure to check out the new page with all the bedding details and bear with me its a new adventure).  But it is firmly square dance season around here! I have two that are dancing this year and can not wait!! Love it. 
I'm also crazy busy trying to keep my crew entertained and loved this summer.  Its really hard to balance working from home and being a full time mom.  Some days I do good,  other days they would probably tell you I stink at it!!  My 8 year old loves a good science project or any kind of project so I thought I'd share this one with you today.  Its a pinterest find and it was so super simple!! Check it out and try it.  It was a hit around here!  Stay cool today and be sure to say hi and let me know you checked out the blog!
(not my kids :)http://www.housingaforest.com/rainbow-bubble-snakes/

Square Dance Love

Square Dance Price List

(not just for dancing but they’ll probably do some twirlin in these! )

I’ve tried to make this as simple as possible but there are sooooo many options, so stick with me on the separate pricing or if you’re the impatient type just ask me to send you a couple of options and  I promise to make you something fabulous you will love!  If you are the leader of a square dance group (or just the one who always gets stuck coordinating the outfits :)  I highly recommend you look this over, text me when you think you know what you want for your group and I will email two or three really simple options for your group to vote on. If it seems a little early to you to be planning your groups attire, remember that it gets crazy hard to find 4 matching tank tops in August, and I will need time to order your fabric and sew the outfits.  Please feel free to call me if you know you want something but find yourself overwhelmed with deciding.  I love to do this and would be happy to put something together for you whether it’s an individual order or for a  group.  Your Order will be ready within 1-3 weeks from the order date depending on my work load.   I would like to have all square dance orders in by the end of July but we’ll see….. Happy Shopping!

(Audrey tank, Emorie Skirt, Jane Bow)

(Audrey Tank & Skirt, Emorie Bow)

Twirl Skirts:    sz 12m, 2/3, 4/5, 6/7, 8  ( 10/12 and up please add $6 to skirt prices)

Jane- super cute one fabric gathered twirl skirt-  $25

Audrey- a little more glam, 2-3 fabrics and some ric rac trim - $33     (cowboy skirt)

 Emorie-  the works, ruffled bottom, apron, 3-4 fabrics, - $45           (yellow floral/brown apron)

Nancy (as in Fancy) 3 tiers of lovely ruffles-  $55

Add an apron to any skirt- $12

Shirts / tanks-

Jane- simply beautiful embellishment-  choose one: frayed flower, ruffle collar, outlined applique- $16

Audrey-choose one: ruffled bib w/buttons, full applique, flower & collar- $22

Emorie- the works, ruffles, bling applique, flutter sleeves, bling- $35

Coordinating Fabric tops-  I recommend these if you want the look of a traditional square dance dress but still want to leave plenty of room for growth, these tops are made to tuck into the skirt and at tunic length  they will have a much better shot of working for two seasons of dancing.  I have endless pattern options for tops that will also work as dresses if you’d rather go that direction please just let me know and we’ll create something cute! But here are some of my favorite styles.

Pillow case top- $18,                                 Sweet top- $22,  (elastic on sleeves/and neck)

Round Neck top- $28                                 Knot Dress top- $35

Bows-  Bows are like the cherry on top!

Jane- one layer- $6

Audrey- 5 layers- $10

Emorie - who’s counting? The bigger the better! This is a big beautiful style and perfect for dance wear. Lots of ribbon, fluff, and whatever else I can fit in!  $15

Fabric Flower Headbands- $8

For the Boys- they are just as important they just don’t require as much stuff!! Well at least not this kind of stuff :)

Pocket square- $5

Garter-$5

Bandana- $6

Add coordinating fabric to a western shirt you provide- $15

Fun Extras-

Parade Pants-  I’m always so worried that we are going to ruin our pretty little dresses in the parades.  These super cute ruffle pants are a great option to wear in the parade or to have as a great versatile piece to wear with the cute top you chose earlier!

Ruffle Pants- $35 (in a mix of your skirt fabrics)

Ruffled Jeans- $20 (made to jean or capri length with jeans that you provide)

Brother/ Sister sets-

I am happy to offer coordinating outfits for younger siblings.  These will not be exact copies but something that would look great in those pictures you know you want to take while they are all dressed up!

Boys- appliqued t-shirts $16, western shirt fabric add on-  $15, baby boy romper w/ applique  $35, 6m-3t,   shorts and a t-shirt set from coordinating fabrics- $25 (0-4t)

Girls- any of the previously listed items made to coordinate with big sister/ big brother’s attire

Please contact me for more info.

Some other thoughts-  I know a lot of groups like to wear their dresses for two years but that makes me kinda sad to think that these adorable pieces I make only get worn to square dance in.  I would love to recommend that you all choose something you will love and wear all year long (maybe without the petticoat beneath).  These skirts are great in the summer with tanks and cute sandals or boots, and later in the fall/winter with boots and leg warmers, and a sweater or long sleeves. Make an outfit you will use for family portraits, another special occasion, or just to church on Sundays. I say create something you love and wear it all you want.  But that’s just my opinion. :)

If you would like to wear these again next year… I cannot guarantee they will fit a year from now, little girls grow a lot! But I will do whatever I can to help.  We can always add a ruffle for length and make new shirts.   Traditional dresses can be made with seams that can be let out, etc…

Payment Options-  Cash or Check, paypal

½ of total is due upon ordering for all group orders and the remaining ½ on delivery.  I can send each child’s parent a separate paypal invoice so one person doesn’t have to collect all the money, but I cannot order any fabrics or begin sewing the order until all have paid the first ½. 

Fabric Options/ and more pics:

Feel free to check out all the pics on our FaceBook page-  This Little Piggy-

We are working on building up the square dance album.

Fabric options are endless and change frequently I try to keep a good slection on FB, would be happy to text or email you choicesI', or meet with you personally.  If you give me a general idea of colors you would like I can better provide you with some options. 

Favorite places to find fabulous fabrics if you want to look for your own-

www.hawthornethreads.com  - I love them all but anything Heather Bailey!

www.hancocksofpaducah.com-  I'm in love with the Nicey Janey collection.

If you don’t see something your group needs just ask I probably can do and just forgot to add to the list!

The Preachers Wife

A warning upfront- I'm in a foul mood and this could translate into either a really great sarcastic funny blog or just a bunch of whining.  I'll let you know when its over.  First off, I just finished reading the final book in the Hunger Games series and it didn't go my way.  (That's not why I'm in a bad mood, I'm not that nutty) But, seriously?! what was that girl thinking?? I'll try not to ruin it for anyone who hasn't read them all but I'd like to erase the last 10 pages from my head and come up with my own alternate ending. Okay I'm going to ruin it so if you haven't read it and want to..... well leave now.  Okay you missed your chance.  How?? How could she choose Peeta over Gale?  Yeah, yeah I know it wasn't really a love story, whatever.  She's a fighter and she chose the lover not the fighter?  I don't get that at all and quite frankly pretty sure Miss Collins got it all wrong. 
     But that's not what's got me all grouchy and its about as important as the late breaking news on the E channel. Really, I'm in a bad mood about church today. Don't worry I'm not upset with the Pastor and I can't say I was upset by anything he said, because I barely heard a word he said.  His children were behaving so badly I doubt anyone heard him!!

I'm so thankful for our little congregation.  Among many other things, the pray for us, encourage us, and just plain love us! And they tolerate our very noisy children.  Well mostly its just the girls.  Caleb is old enough and smart enough to keep quiet and behave properly in church, but the girls seem bent on driving me insane.  And its working.  Tim pastors at a small country church and there are many Sundays where our kids are the only young ones there so we don't have children's church regularly.
I am determined that they can and will learn to sit in church without causing an uproar but today they provided much evidence to the contrary.  If you have noticed any families with small children who at one time came to your church but aren't  there anymore, I know why.  They are exhausted.  Totally drained from trying to keep their small kids in the pew and listen to the pastor. More than once today while holding on to a foot disappearing beneath the pew I thought "it would be so much easier to stay at home".
  The girls are waging a war against my sanity and they are winning.  I'm pretty sure I've developed a twitch.  I cannot personally tell you anything that Tim preached today.  Emorie screamed off and on  during both morning and evening services and we of course had to leave church once each service for Audrey to use the restroom.  And in the end I finally gave up and left both services feeling like we were totally preventing everyone else from focusing.  The look on Emorie's little face was sheer triumph! Grrrrrrrrr!  I know, this too shall pass.  They will grow up and I will survive.  Caleb is proof.  And I will cling to the knowledge that one day we can sit in peace.  I just hope by that time we haven't run everyone else off and find ourselves sitting alone in church :(
Encourage the young parents in your church.  Help them when you can, tolerate them when you can't.  It would be easier for them to stay at home but that is not where they need to be.  Love them even if you don't love the distraction they cause.

Cursing CupCakes

Its 1am and I am in my kitchen covered in flour, powdered sugar, and red food dye. I am not a baker.  I am a seamstress.  I am a designer.  I am a writer.  I am many many things.  I am not a baker.  I am also not perfect and if anyone reading this believes me to be and wishes to retain that image be warned and stop reading now. 
Caleb's Razorback party is tomorrow, scratch that it's today,  and in an effort to not be rushed I decided to make his cupcakes today.  Lately, we've be having cupcakes for birthday parties for a number of reasons.  Well let me just number them for you. 
1.  I'm frugal.  There are a couple of bakeries in Fayetteville that I adore but I do not adore their prices.  It's cake people! We are going to eat it and then it will be gone.  I don't care how cute it is or how much my guests will ooh and ahh over it.  It's cake. period
2.  My favorite stay at home mom baker made some well earned changes and isn't doing birthday cakes anymore.  I would be bitter but I love you anyway :) and believe me I understand like no one else could.
3. Cupcakes are easier to decorate than a whole cake.  Well in theory anyway.
4. Did I mention I'm frugal.  Cheap, tight, call it whatever you want.  I didnt want to spend money on the cake when I've already spend a small fortune on the gifts, food, and party essentials.
5.  I am a creative, talented girl,  I can make cupcakes-  ha!

Okay that's enough numbers.  So anyway I found a picture online of some darling Razorback cupcakes and Caleb loved them.  I made the cupcakes from store bought cake mix, yeah yeah I know cheating- whatever.  I found a recipe online for a simple buttercream icing I thought would work well and then was worried one batch wouldn't be enough so I doubled it :). 
I quickly realized I had enough icing to cover Baum Stadium.  Oops, oh well I calm down and eat a cupcake using some of the extra icing. One had to be sacrificed for quality control purposes.
     So I divided my icing to make red, black, and white.  Mix in my red paste....... pink.  Mix in more red.....dark pink, hmmmm.  I've mixed icing before with this same paste.  At this point I probably should have thought a little harder but it was getting late so I calmed down, ate another cupcake and  just dumped in the entire new container of red paste.... still sorta pink.  Pigs may be pink where you're from but around here they're red- dark red! Curse--- not an actual curse that would be wrong and I would never do that (except in rare skiing accidents and I apologized profusly for that) After taking time to think it through and eating another cupcake (true) I added a little black and came up with a color I could live with but its still not right.  At this point my kitchen looked like this and I was thinking very bad thoughts about my cupcake skills. 

I'm not even sure why the salad dressing is on the island?? I didn't use it in the frosting, promise :).  Its late I'm tired and I realize there is no way these are going to look right.  I start slappin icing on cupcakes all the while making plans to make a trip to the bakery in the morning and pay whatever they want for whatever they have.
Calm down eat another cupcake-  just kidding.  by this point I was about sick and I figured I should save one for breakfast. 
I decided I should just put on the base layer and add snouts, tusks, and such tomorrow.  But I had to make finish a couple just out of curiousity and I'm pretty darn happy with the final results. 

    

I don't think I'll be getting a job as a cupcake decorator anytime soon but that's okay by me. I think my birthday boy is going to think they are awesome and that is all I need! Well that and maybe some bleach to get all the red off my hands.  Come by tomorrow and help us celebrate.  I'll send you home with some pink icing :).

Wandering

I am in total disbelief that my sweet freckle faced boy is turning 8 tomorrow!  I mean, I knew this day was coming, it is the number that comes after 7 :) but how did it get here so fast??? I honestly still think of myself as an energetic 22 yr old (okay I'm not really that energetic anymore and I sure didn't have these flabby abbys at 22, haha I like that!)  Still, I don't feel old enough for him to be 8.  Geesh that's half way to 16!  I am so not ready for this!
Tim let him mow part of the yard today.  He felt really big. I know that's maybe not a huge deal but it made me a little sad.  I grew up on a farm so I'm sure by his age I was driving a tractor and raking hay.  Just kidding!  I still don't do those things,but its not that far off for a country kid.   And we are getting him a .22 for his birthday- shhhh! don't tell yet! I can't believe I agreed to that so easily.  You'll shoot your eye out!! oh wait that's a BB gun, this is a .22.!!!!  So much worse and  another sure sign of being a country boy. Don't get me wrong, I want him to grow up.  It's just that I feel him slipping through my fingers much too fast and I don't want to waste a single moment.
We've been studying about the children of Israel wandering in the wilderness in our adult Sunday School class.  This past Sunday I found myself thinking about the mothers who knew they would not enter the Promised Land with their children.  I'm sure some of them were bitter or maybe just saddened by this.  I feel certain though that some of them must have become very focused by this knowledge.  They knew they had no more than 40 years to train their children and grandchildren in the ways of God.  To teach them to live a life dependent upon Him.  Should have been easy enough, seeing as how they were totally dependent on Him in the wilderness, right?
Anyway it got me to thinking that I should have that same kind of focus with my children.  I have such a short amount of time to spend with them while they still think I'm cool and I wonder how much of that time I am wasting.  I know I'm a good mom (don't ask my kids today, today they think I'm mean :) but am I really doing what God wants me to do with my kids during this precious time I have with them?  Not sure to be honest but its something I am going to give some serious thought to!
 
     On a lighter note we are getting ready for Caleb's Razorback themed birthday party this weekend! I love a good party and its perfect timing for a Hog party! lol! Love my piggies even when the going gets rough.  Some days its not so hard to be humble when your an Arkansas Razorback fan :) Proud to be a Hog and always will be (I paid large sums of money to be a Hog- mainly in parking tickets- so I feel some obligation to be a fan, well that and I just love them anyway!)

I am also finally going to update my work list.  Spring break came and my normal sewing schedule kind of fell apart! I feel like I've been wandering in the wilderness a bit myself without a real direction.  But I'm getting back on track-  The new This Little Piggy Booth is up and running at "Back in the Day" Antique Market in Lincoln.  It is fabulous and hope everyone has a chance to go check it out.  So as soon as I get this Birthday bash finished up I will get back to work! Thank you to my patient customers!!  Lots of new cute things this spring and can't wait to get to work on some square dance skirts and dresses.  Head full of ideas and sewing room full of fabric-  good combination, so stay tuned. 

Jonah_ my deep thought for the night

Forget about "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader", I'm just busy trying to keep up with my toddlers.  They teach me something wonderful every day if I will take the time to learn! I am completely guilty of skimming through the Bible stories that I read to my kids without really even hearing the words.  Audrey, my 3 year old, has me reading through the same children's story book Bible over and over and over again.  I think she's on to something.  Tonight we read about Jonah for about the 10th time this year and I had a thought.  :) I've always thought of the whale (big fish, whatever you want to call it) as a punishment.  And in a way it was, I mean that is seriously gross to be swallowed by a whale! Certainly it was no prize, but as I read about Jonah telling the sailors to throw him over the side of the boat, I found myself realizing something for the first time.  Jonah did this expecting to die.  He had to have thought that he would drown in the stormy sea.  I've heard the story so many times and knowing the final outcome,  that I have failed to really see the story from Jonah's perspective.  He wasn't planning on swimming to shore, getting picked up by another boat, or someone throwing him a floatie, and unless he was just a complete nut it never occured to him that a whale would come along and gobble him up.  He thought God wanted him dead.  The whale was a wonderful, albeit, smelly rescuer sent by a loving God.  Sooo..... I'm thinking some of the "punishments" we endure thanks to the lousy decisions we make (surely I'm not the only one who does stupid things),  are really just a big smelly whale :), punishment yes! but also the consequences and corridors that God takes us down to get us where He wants us to go. And the good Lord knows I can use all the direction He will give me!

Party

This one is just a little bit of a teaser.  I have more to do this week than I can get done in a month and my little Internet habits are gonna have to slide for a few days but I just couldn't wait to show you my next "how to" blog.  These little party lights are my new favorite pinterest project! When I have a minute  I'll go back and find the pin in case they give better instructions than me and you want to check it out.  Personally, I'm not much of an instruction kind of girl.  I see a picture, think "I could do that!", and launch off on a project typically full of mishaps but normally wind up with a cute finished project.  And well, some things just end up in the trash :), along with any instructions I might have printed off. These are basically just clear solo cups (the short punch kind), some fabric, and mod podge- imagine that. 

I love them!  Used these at a Bachelorette party this weekend:) and will be making a Razorback set soon for Caleb's bd party.  Every good party needs a set of party lights right? I'm pretty sure I have a few graduating friends who are going to need a set of these for their dorm rooms too.  (if you want to be on that list you better leave a comment with your school colors :) But getting back to the bachelorette party--- that is one of the reasons I must get back to my machine.  My sweet little Aj is the flower girl and I'm not quite finished with her dress.  She has given me strict instructions to have it finished when she wakes up, so she can practice.  I was supposed to have it done today and when I didn't she told me my sewing machine is awfully slow.  How true!

My car/ My Brain

     Have you ever seen those backpacks that you are supposed to have prepared in case of an emergency? I saw a segment on one of those silly morning shows where they referred to it as Prepared Patty's Pack. Pretty sure that show got cancelled.  Yeah, I don't have one of those packs and should we ever have a true emergency that requires one I'm going to kindly ask the emergency to wait while I pack up. And my list would not match the experts at all!! I doubt Dr. Pepper makes the list but in my book simply being out of Dr. Pepper would constitute an emergency. In all honesty as long as I could take my car we wouldn't need the backpack.  My car could sustain a small country for a few months if need be. Its fully loaded... with enough cheerios on the floorboards to keep our family alive into the next millennium.  You can also rest assured that every single cup holder has a drink left in it.  (Cannot believe I am admitting to this) Of course the drinks are flat and the Cheerios are stale but I'm bettin they're better than the fruit leather that prepared Patty's gonna be choking down.
     I do actually keep a bottle of water in there, but its not for drinking.  It's for washing dirty little faces just in case I leave my wet wipe case somewhere (frequent habit). I have magic kids.  We can leave home with squeaky clean faces and yet when we arrive somewhere they all look like they've been eating dirt! Drives me insane!! And it takes us forever to get unloaded because after we rewash faces, we have to get redressed.  While in the car my youngest, who is 18 months, has deemed it totally unnecessary to wear anything that she can get off.  Most of the time that is limited to socks and shoes but lately she has figured out how to get her arms out of her shirt and still remain strapped down! We're hoping to get her into a Vegas magic act soon. But this habit is actually going to work out great for our emergency plan. We've left enough random pieces of clothing in the car that we should be covered ..literally.
Let's see what else might we need to be equipped with in case of an Apocalypse... lighters- check.  I have at least 3-4 in there. Never fails when I deliver something with a bow I always forget to singe the ends til I am in someones drive way.  Can't tell you how many times I've caught bows on fire in the car.  It really freaks my family out :).
Batteries- check. Of course we"ll have to steal them from the toys strewn about which will create a whole new emergency. My kids are sweet little red headed Irish children and you haven't seen a fit until you've seen it from a red head.
     I've heard that the state of your car is really a true reflection of the state of your brain. If that's true I need to be tuned up and detailed. This would be a depressing thought but I prefer to see the silver lining.  My car is ,on any given day, just a big ol mess but it gets us where we need to go and its contents could absolutely save our lives in case of an alien invasion. And I know that somewhere is all the craziness of my brain, my great big awesome God has equipped me to deal with whatever comes my way. Which ever of life's little or big problems are headed your way today God has equipped you to deal with it too and He doesn't expect you to do it alone. And if your problems include being attacked by the planet Zoltron come hang out with me , we'll eat cheerios.
2 Corinthians 12:9 And He the Lord said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
That's good stuff for all us weakly earthlings.

Ode to Mod Podge

So, just in case you were thinking all I do is sit around eating bon bons and watching HGTV I thought I would post a little project the girls and I did this morning.  I'd like to call it my "Ode to Mod Podge"  Love me some Mod Podge.  I think its in a category right up there with Duct Tape! I love the pretty personalized canvases you see at craft fairs and have a friend who does AMAZING paint work on canvas, but I am not a painter.  (You're awesome Val! and btw if you are reading this I need to order a Hog canvas for Caleb's BD, keep forgetting to message you!) Sorry, back to what I was saying.  I am not a good painter at all!!! But I can cut and glue, so this little project is perfect for me and its like spending a little time in kindergarten all over again only no one is eating the glue at my house :) We did this project at our Ladies Night at church last month and it was a big hit.  Hope you enjoy it too- sooooo here we go.

Supplies:

• Mod Podge_ I like the glossy kind but they also have matte finish
• Plastic cup or plate to pour mod podge into (I actually didn't use mine just dipped out of the container- put the cup to good use holding my Dr. Pepper!)
• little foam brushes (1 inch works good)
• scrapbook paper in the colors you want to use
• scissors
• One-two canvases any size painted the color you want back ground to be, this one is is 7"x14" and came in a two pack from w-mart for $6, you can wait for Hobby Lobby sale or use your coupon and get them in any size you want very inexpensively, I used a can of paint that's been sitting in my garage for a year, but the little Apple Barrel bottles of craft paint from w-mart work perfect too. I suggest you do get 2 the first time just in case you mess one up :) I'm an optimist can't you tell.

Now that you have made a trip to your favorite craft store or to your personal stash, pick a name, theme, picture, or whatever you want to put on your canvas and get started cutting it our of your scrapbook paper.  If you are lucky enough to have a cricut sitting around now is the time to dust it off and use it.  Personally, I have one that I don't use.  I just cut my letters and shapes by hand.  If that stresses you out and makes you want to add something else to your cup besides Dr. Pepper. here are some suggestions.

• google online coloring pages and print off to use as a template- butterflies, turtles, owls, etc.. print off a black and white copy to trace and cut on your scrapbook paper
• print letters off your word processor to use as a stencil
• dollar store coloring books- great source for simple pics to trace
• check out www.planetapplique.com for some good shape ideas, keep in mind you may need to do some layering to get the look you want

Once you have your canvas painted and dry and your basic name/design cut out let the gluing begin! Work with one piece of paper at at time.  Put down a thin coat of the mod podge with your foam brush, position shape on the tacky area and then paint over it with more mod podge.  You have a very small window of opportunity to reposition (like 10 seconds) so be sure you are putting it where you want it! The thinner papers do have a tendency to wrinkle up.  You can gently peel it up (within that 10 seconds) and use your brush like a squeegee to lay it down flat, working from bottom to top.  This step really isn't that complicated it just takes practice and a little bit of patience. Believe me I don't have much patience either!!

Continue adding to your design one layer at a time.  I added the wheels to the engine next since this area still had wet modge podge, before moving on to the train cars.  Only add a thin layer where you need it when you need it so your canvas doesn't get too goopy.  Goopy- very technical term :) Its also helpful if you have little helpers. Okay not really helpful but way more fun!

Finish adding on your pieces using thin layers of mod podge.
When you have everything on go over the entire canvas with a thin layer just to make sure it is all glossy.

Here's our finished piece.  We decided it needed a little something more so we added in puffs of smoke and the buttons later.  The buttons are just held on with a little mod podge also.  I've never had a problem with buttons falling off this way, but I don't recommend playing football with your finished canvas!

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The options are endless.  This a favorite that I did for one of the girls. The buttons are vintage from my great grandmother's button jar! Happy Mod Podging.  Let me know if you need any help. I'd be happy to answer your questions with my massive stores of wisdom :)

Time to get back to my bon bons and I think its almost time for "Dear Genivieve" . Ha I wish- really its time to make lunch, do a load of laundry, get the girls down for a nap, finish a diaper bag, get ready for Awanas, the list goes on! Somewhere in there I'm going to make another one of these for my little friend Josh. :)

Did I say that outloud?

Short little blog more for me than you- to write down some things whirling around in my head that I'd like to blog about in the future and reference back to.  If I let them whirl for very long they will be long gone.   In case you didn't know, my husband is the pastor of a small Baptist church. That makes me a pastors wife.  Funny!! I come from a long line of fabulous women with big mouths, big ideas, and a big habit of saying things outloud that well maybe sometimes shouldn't be said (don't be offended gals- own it with pride) ...so I'll ponder on some of these thoughts before I put pen to paper and embarass my husband.  I'm kind of a late bloomer in the speak my mind department. The older I get the less I care what other people think. But I absolutely care how my words make people feel and would not want to speak foolishly. I would also like to think there is a purpose to my writing and that it would glorify my God.  He is a God that loves humor and cares big about the little things in our lives, so as strange as it might sound, I think he cares about and has a purpose for what I say here.
 So here's a completely random list of little bits and pieces of my brain. Some are more thought out than others, some are just a simple topic idea, and some are things that I really need to think about before I open my big mouth.

• the trail- my attempt to get in shape and find my abs again- pretty sure they aren't at the bottom of the little debbie box
• my bucket list- hike the appalachain trail (think I butchered that spelling) where the heck is spell check on here?, visit all the National Forests- funny since I always moaned about the many many many civil war museums my dad drug us too. 
• my car- a metaphor for my brain- scary
• I want some power tools! those of you who really know me are thinking "now there's a bad idea!" seriously I think I could build something awesome if only I had the right tools...
• ???? brain just halted, there's a little alarm going off in my head that says time to sew before anyone yells for mom

Okay its a short list but a start.  If anyone has an opionion I'd love to hear it.

Out the Door

Miss Betty's, hmmm :) she's gonna stand on her head and wear this one.  I'll have to fix later, gotta run.

Help Wanted

I need a secretary. This is funnier than you know. See I just did my taxes and took a loss on my little biz. I spend more than I make apparently. Easily done with some office renos and well my serious fabric habit. Not a huge problem at this point in our lives since thankfully I am not the bread winner around here! But I have this desperate need to contribute. This is the point where you think "is she crazy! of course she contributes! the cooking, the cleaning (i'm kinda not good at that one- especially the ironing! hate to iron- sorry back to your thoughts "the cooking, cleaning, caring for the children 24/7/365". All true, while I am no June Cleaver, I am a dedicated housewife. I mean for goodness sake I cook three meals a day- poptarts totally count for breakfast once in a while. I know that I contribute in a huge way but I feel a tug that I think every stay at home mom feels to do more. I could totally go off here about how our society has warped our views of the value of staying home to raise children, but I'll refrain. And please don't read into this that I think all moms should stay home. I am in total awe of moms who work outside the home and still manage to do all the things they need to do! But back to the topic at hand, I could sooooo use a secretary. For one thing, if you haven't noticed yet, my spelling and grammar are atrocious (did I spell that right?). Despite Mrs. Farrells continued attempts to correct my habit of writing in passive voice, I think I still do, even though I really don't know what that is. A secretary could edit my blog, answer my emails, handle phone conversations, fill out craft fair apps, manage my life, and maybe I could pay her extra to do the ironing?? But there's the rub- she would probably expect to be paid. And she would have to respond to all issues just exactly as I would personally, of course. Just think of the extra sewing I could get done if someone else handled customer service calls to paypal. I've been having a minor issue with a sale on ebay and I've spent some quaility time with friendly paypal people. They tried to get me to "chat" with virtual Sarah- seriously. If I'm going to blow my lid at a customer service rep. I would prefer they understand the tone of my voice.
I think what it boils down to is that I truly love what I do- being here with my children while they are young, sewing while everyone else sleeps (I'd be up anyway) , and yes even the ironing (just kidding). And for the time being no one else can do what I do the way that I do it.
I often read through Proverbs 31 about super woman. At least that's how I think of her. She and I kind of have a love/hate relationship. She likes good fabric so we could be great friends, but she likes to get up early so I'm thinking we'd have to be friends over lunch. Seriously, what a good model for us strong women who are crazy enough to try to run a business from home. She managed it with style, why can't I? I think my daughter might have given me the answer.
Several days ago she wanted me to pick her up but I was cleaning up clutter and told her my arms were full. She said "mommy you need more arms". At the time I thought how true! But I've thought about that conversation and I think I've realized in my life, I simply hold on to too much stuff that is NOT important and that sure makes it hard to hold on to what is!
That being said, if you know of a good secretary who will work for peanuts, or raisins, or stale cheerios, send her my way. :)

Work List for Today

Complete (I think) work list is on the side bar
Today-
2 Camo bags for etsy orders
Aunt Jackie _ finish burp cloth set and work shirts
entertain Emorie while her favorite playmate Aj is gone for the day

Take Me Out to the BallGame

It is baseball season (in case you didn't know!) And all I want, is be to be at a ballpark somewhere! Today would have been the perfect day to watch the Hogs and I'm afraid on Friday when I can go its goint to be too cold! Favorite baseball memory ever-- watching Tim play in the State Championship in high school, and a close second (okay maybe first but dont tell Tim) watching the Cubs & Braves at Wrigley Field with my girls (girls/friends not to be confused with my girls/kids :)! It was an amazing spontaneous trip and I loved it! Honestly can't tell you any real details including who won. We had to leave early so we wouldn't miss our flight, but it was totally worth the rush and the really expensive cab ride we took just to stay a little longer. I'm not the kind of fan who remembers every play of the game, I'm the fan who will always be able to tell you who I went to the game with and where we had dinner!

So welcome to my little blog. "This Little Piggy's Party" is an idea I've had in my head for a while now. I have a booth at a local flea market with my friend Mindy. We both have business names that we work under and decided to call our joint venture "This Little Piggy". I keep thinking of talented friends I would like to invite to put things in our space there but there just isn't room. Here there is plenty of room to show off our creative talents and offer our collective efforts to our friends and customers. Don't run away if you aren't a customer. I promise not to make you send in three monthly installments of $19.95 just for reading.

I'm a really creative person, like scary scatterbrain creative (just ask any of my former employers- no it's not a long list in case you were wondering). I have so many ideas and plans its hard to focus on just one- which is why I find myself working on my blog at 1:30 in the morning instead of sewing. Ha- see a normal person would have said "instead of sleeping". Anyway, everybody has a blog these days- why not me. Its also a secret way (well not secret anymore) to keep my friends. I love to write and I can imagine that my friends must get a little tired of all my random facebook posts. Enter, the blog. I can write- you only have to read it if you want to! Will this truly limit my fb posts? Hard to say. I spend my days with a 1 and 3 yr old. While I love them tremendously, I also crave adult conversation during the day, even if its as superficial as fb. Combine that with night owl habits that my husband doesnt' share and well, I feel alone alot. (not like sad miserable person alone- no need to leave any help hotlines for me to call :)

I hope you'll enjoy reading my blogs and if no one reads them at least I'm doing something better with my late night hours than watching hoarders- another of my guilty pleasures. Not to brag but I think I'm a semi interesting person. I am able to do a lot of things thanks to the blessing of being a work at home mom that most people dont really have opportunity to do. I mean how many of you still can your own garden vegetables? Its a dying art! And of course I plan to blog about some issues I feel very passionately about, ranging from the silly- my love affair with Dr. Pepper, to the serious- my faith.

The plan is to also use the blog to keep me on track. I plan to give a daily update of the projects I am working on so my customers will know where they stand and can kindly pester me if I'm running behind. I stress- KINDLY. ha ha side note-- do you ever hold down the keyboard keys waiting for them to capitalize? Anyway, I have some very patient customers like my wonderful Aunt Jackie and I need a better way to let people know where there orders stand. So I will have an ongoing work list on here. Don't worry if its a gift, I wont spill the beans but it will be listed so you and I know what it is and when I plan to work on it. I'll blog about the projects working on as I work on them. Like the 6- yes 6 camoflauge diaper bags that are on my list right now! I don't really get it at all. Yes, they are cute, but they are still camo. Truly glad you all like them but I just dont love them myself.

So tomorrow- camo bags galore and maybe just maybe if I can get done I will reward myself by bundling up and heading to the ballpark!